Our understanding of the Archaic period in the American Southwest is much greater than before the advent of cultural resource management and mandated environmental impact statements, but it is still understudied. Research on this period relies largely on analyses of stone and bone material remains and has focused on subsistence, technology, and landscape use. Regional patterns, north to south and east to west, differ throughout this period. Increasing numbers of cultural features are being found, now that archaeologists are looking for them. Additionally, broader classes of material culture are being used to examine questions of social identity, ritual practices, gender roles, and other non-economic aspects of life.
There are regional differences in how archaeologists conduct their research on the Archaic period. The rich array of techniques and approaches used to examine this period in the West include human behavioral ecology and other evolutionary perspectives, technological style and aspects of practice theory, neuropsychological theory, and more. Recent research in the Great Basin, Southwest, Great Plains, Columbia-Fraser Plateau, and coastal California is surveyed to highlight commonalities and differences in the questions asked of the archaeological data and in the techniques that are used.
museum of indian arts and culture/laboratory of anthropologyDo you think students take full advantage of having museums on campus?We have eight museums at the University of Michigan, but they are all different. Some are research museum anthropo lo gy
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